The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005
went into effect in October of that year. As its name clearly implies,
it was designed to make bankruptcy less attractive to filers and curb
perceived abuses of the bankruptcy system.
Chapter 13 is one of the methods that individuals can use to file for
bankruptcy. This bankruptcy filing offers individuals a way to
financially reorganize themselves under the supervision of a federal
bankruptcy court. Chapter 13 is mostly used by individuals with a
regular source of income to rehabilitate themselves by fulfilling the
plan approved by the federal bankruptcy court. This differs from a
Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in that Chapter 7 offers immediate and
complete relief from several debts.
Chapter 7 is the most common form of bankruptcy in the United States. Chapter 7 refers to the number of a chapter in the Bankruptcy Code that lists the rules and regulations to be followed during liquidation proceedings. Very simply put, when business files for Chapter 7, it means that the organization intends to sell all its property and use the money to pay off its creditors. The business will then cease functioning.